Tanuki Trip uses Google Analytics to understand how the site is used and to improve it. These
analytics cookies only load with your consent. You can change your mind at any time from
the privacy policy.
Cheapest: ¥3,410 (about $22) per person,
in about 4 h 22. Fastest: about 2 h 50 to 2 h 55, for
¥6,140 (about $39).
The Japan Rail Pass covers this whole trip.
Osaka and Kinosaki Onsen are 164 km (102 miles) apart by road.
Japan Rail Pass: yesCovered by the Japan Rail Pass.
Who runs it
JR
The public rail network, six regional companies. The Japan Rail Pass is valid on their lines and on nothing else.
Source
Which train
KounotoriKounotori: A limited express running direct from Shin-Osaka to Kinosaki Onsen, reserved. A JR line end to end, covered by the Japan Rail Pass.
Source
This is not a bullet train: the Kounotori runs on ordinary lines. It has no unreserved seats at all, so the reservation is compulsory, and free with the Japan Rail Pass. Most departures also call at Osaka-Umeda a few minutes later, at the same fare.
Fare source
JR train
Local JR trains
Shin-Osaka → Kinosaki Onsen, 4 changes
¥3,410
about $22 · per person
about 4 h 22journey time
Japan Rail Pass: yesCovered by the Japan Rail Pass.
Who runs it
JR
The public rail network, six regional companies. The Japan Rail Pass is valid on their lines and on nothing else.
Source
Which train
Trains locaux JRTrains locaux JR: The ordinary JR trains, no supplement, with connections. The cheapest, always covered by the pass, at the price of your time.
Source
About half the price of the Kounotori, but with four changes and close to twice the journey time. For a traveler very short on money and not at all short on time. Covered by the Japan Rail Pass on the base fare alone, with no limited express supplement.
Fare source
Last checked August 11, 2026. The dollar figure is worked out at the exchange rate of the site's last update and
is never stored beside the yen.
A regional pass covers this trip
Less known than the national Japan Rail Pass and often far cheaper, they are only valid inside their
own area. These cover this trip end to end.
We earn a commission on the Klook links below, and it costs you nothing extra. It does not
change which pass we say covers your trip.
JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass
¥17,000 (about $108) for 5 consecutive days
See this pass on Klook
This trip inside your whole itinerary
One trip on its own never tells you whether the Japan Rail Pass is worth it. That depends on every
other leg of the journey, and on the regional passes, which are far cheaper and cover only their
own area.
